The Ten Public Signals, Explained

Every opportunity we publish carries the same ten qualitative signals. The first seven are deliberately coarse — Favorable, Mixed, or Unfavorable — because false precision is the fastest way to fool yourself.

Marketing-channel feasibility asks whether proven, accessible channels exist to reach the customer. Gross-margin potential asks what is left after direct delivery costs at scale. Time to first revenue asks how quickly the first paying customer realistically arrives.

Stickiness and retention measure whether customers stay once acquired. Build and technical complexity asks how hard the product is to build and maintain. Founder interaction and service posture asks how much ongoing founder-led service the model demands. Scalability asks whether growth requires proportional cost or headcount.

The three market dimensions round out the picture. Customer Economics captures the unit economics headline (margin structure, payback period, LTV drivers). Competitive Intensity rates the density of credible direct competition as Low, Medium, or High. Disruption Risk rates the likelihood that technology, regulation, or market shifts could erode the opportunity.

Read the signals together, not individually. An Unfavorable on time to first revenue matters far more to a bootstrapper than to a funded team.